Monthly Archives: July 2011

But they are not, although they are both vitamin B3. But nicotinamide has an amide NH moiety substituted for one oxygen molecule in nicotinic acid, hence nicotinamide is an antioxidant, nicotinic acid is not.

in the food chain, both occur in balance. Niacin metabolizes to nicotinamide and NAD. It doesnt work the other way round, so nicotinamide has no benefit on lipidemia.

as supplements the two different forms of vit B3 have major different effects. In a multisupplement we put both in ~ RDA dose.

But for pharmacological benefits we use up to 100 fold higher doses eg over a gm of niacin for lipidemia or a few hundred mg of nicotamide as part of an antiinflammatory or antidiabetic combo.

This table (derived from Wikipedia, from Pubmed and from the Linus Pauling Institute website of Oregon State university) summarizes the biochemical and clinical differences: